Lines of Green, Lines of Purple, Threads of Black
by RedLillyBeast
Summary: A short story of the night Kurloz accidentally made Meulin deaf, and a bit of their relationship afterwards.


Kurloz wrapped his arms around Meulin, kissing her cheek softly.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she responded, her voice soft and sweet. She rested her forehead against his chest and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of him. "Kurloz?"

"Yes, Meulin my dear?"

"Will you sing to me? I love listening to you sing."

Kurloz chuckled and asked, "What do you want me to sing?"

Meulin pulled the blanket over them a little more, shivering. Kurloz pulled her closer, stroking her back.

"Anything," she answered. Kurloz smiled and began to sing quietly, his voice low but gentle.

"_In the stillest of the night, when the moon is glowing bright, and the stars are shining up above, I will love you. When the rain is pouring down and the wind begins to howl, and when the lightning breaks the sky, I will love you. With every breath I take and every beat of my dark heart, as long as the purple is in my veins, I will love you. My sweet little kitten, my angel, my dear, you should not be afraid as long as I am here. I will protect you, I'll hold you close. As long as I shall live, I will love you_," he sang. By the time he finished, Meulin was purring in her sleep. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.

He woke screaming, the sound echoing off the walls, drowning out all other noise. He doubled over in agony, the vision still in his mind. The scream continued as Meulin wrapped her arms around him, shouting that she was there, that everything would be alright. Kurloz tugged at his hair, at the knots around his horns, as Meulin began to cry.

When finally his screams subsided, he looked down at his matesprit. She was clinging to him. Her face was buried against him, but he could see her well enough to know that green lines were trailing down her face.

"Meulin, my dear, it's alright," Kurloz told her. "I'm fine. You're fine. It's okay."

Meulin did not respond.

"Meulin, look at me," Kurloz pleaded. "Look at me."

Meulin still said nothing.

"Meulin, please. It's alright. You're fine." Purple dripped from the corners of Kurloz's eyes as he began to worry. "Please, Meulin, please." He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. She looked up at him.

"Everything's alright," he said, trying to smile. Panic filled Meulin's eyes. She reached up to her ears. Her hands came back covered in green blood. She started to hyperventilate, staring at the blood.

"Meulin!" Kurloz exclaimed, realizing what had happened. His screams had made his matesprit deaf. He pulled her close, hugging her tightly to his chest, rocking her as she sobbed. Purple lines dripped down his cheeks and chin as he listened to his love cry, knowing she couldn't hear him anymore.

Eventually she cried herself to sleep and Kurloz drifted off with her in his arms. For weeks, they waited to see if her hearing would return. They went to every healer they could find, but it was soon discovered that her handicap was permanent. The pair learned sign language to communicate and Kurloz served as her translator. The guilt slowly grew inside him; knowing he was at fault and his matesprit would forever be deaf because of him ate him up.

She came home one day to find him weaving a needle in and out of his lips, purple blood filling the sink and a wad of paper towel covered in his blood in the trash beside him. The sight caused her to scream, but he had already begun his self-declared punishment and could not stop. When finally he finished stitching his lips, he sunk to his knees in front of where she sat on the couch in their hive. He looked up at her, purple tears falling down his face and dripping from the black lines across his lips.

"_I'm sorry, Meulin_," Kurloz signed to her.

"_I don't understand,_" she signed back.

"_I am only making sure my words, my voice, can never hurt you again_."

"_Kurloz, you're losing your mind_."

"_It's better than losing you_."

For some time, they kept on in silence. One day it became too much for either of them to bear. Knowing this, Meulin ended their matespritship.

"_I hope you understand_," she told him as she left what was now just his hive.

"_I do. It is for the best. But I will always love you_," he replied.

Meulin nodded and turned to walk away. She turned back and signed, with tears in her eyes, "_I will always love you, too, Kurloz_."

Sweeps later, they remain close. Kurloz has kept his vow of silence, his mouth remaining stitched shut. Meulin's hearing never returned. Neither of them healed their injuries after death, Meulin too accustomed to the silence and Kurloz too guilt-riddled. On the nights when both of them are feeling lonely or when they simply feel the need to return to each other's arms, they will spend the night together. When they do, Kurloz will sign to her the song he sang that night. Meulin swears she can hear his voice in her mind sometimes, but Kurloz denies any such thing could be possible.

Still, she does not feel ill will toward him for the accident. She feels only content that the last thing she heard was his voice, singing her to sleep.


End file.
